Sure! I’m a wife, mom and all around
gamer chick. I love playing games like World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings
online, etc. I’m a fantasy writer and I’ve been writing for a very long time
now. (Don’t want to give away my age, you know.)

What
do you think makes your genre special?

Fantasy genre is not exactly special, per
se, in that it is something new and exciting. Sometimes fantasy can be
stretched out over a myriad of other genres to create new, sub-genres. But if
you are talking about what makes Fantasy itself special, well, then I would
have to say all of the magical creatures that are formed from it. The wizardry,
the races and all of the heroic tales told as if they were all mythical legends
from our world.

What
do you think makes a great story?

Personally, when I read a book and I’m
looking for a great story, I am looking for a rush of events that leads us to
the overall end goal, whatever that may be. Whether it is finding the long lost
sword of a forgotten king or a race against time to find a killer. I want
action and I sort of like it to move along quickly. I also think that
characters that are well thought out and have depth to their personalities make
for a great tale. I like to connect to the characters somehow as if they are
new friends. By the end of the book, I want us to be buddies for life.

What
is your latest book called and could you explain to us in 20 words what it is
about?

My book is called ‘Adversarius, Shadow of
the Rose: Book One’. It’s about two warring kingdoms that have fought for
generations and it’s finally coming to an end, one way or another. It will
either end on a peaceful note or total destruction of both kingdoms.

Which
kind of reader do you think will enjoy your book?

People who like any kind of high fantasy
akin to ‘Forgotten Realms’ or ‘ShadowLance’. Anyone who likes RPG (Role-playing
games) such as Dungeons and Dragons.

Is
it a Standalone, or part of the series? If it the latter, how long do you think
will it go on?

This is the first in a trilogy. There
will be two books to follow, ‘Veritas’ and ‘Bellum’.

What
influenced or inspired you writing it?

Honestly? Playing an online RPG that was
text based. I took all of the roleplays from my friends and asked if I could
turn it into a short story. Well, things just went from there. I have all of
(or almost all of) their characters in this first book, just the story is
different from anything we ever did.

Why
did you choose especially this title? Was it your first choice?

No, far from my first choice! Titles are
a little difficult for me. But I thought about this first book and what was
happening in it. I have a love for languages and thought I would use a one word
title to describe the book and translated it into Latin, hence ‘Adversarius’
was chosen.

What
was the hardest part for you working on your book?

Almost all of it! Writing it is easy. I
seem to see the movie in my mind and just write out what is happening. The
hardest part was editing it and trying to describe such a book in one short
sentence. (I went over up above!) Querying seemed just as difficult and
marketing and promoting my book would have been horrendous if I hadn’t began
building my reader base a long time ago.

Was
there a scene that you didn’t want to add or remove in your finished work?

I’d say yes, but most everything I wanted
in the book is there. I have had to shorten some parts, rearrange others and
increase descriptions. Overall, though, the hardest part was trying to decide
where book one should end and book two should begin. Now I have a clear goal
for the ending of the second book as well as the last and know how to start
book three.

Do
you already know what to do next?

Yes, finally! Now I have a clear goal for
the ending of the second book as well as the last and know how to start book
three. I’ve had to map out the story in outlines and on my world map I’ve
created so I know how to get from point A to point B.

Where
can we find more about you and your books?

You can always find me on Facebook or my
blog. I have been getting on Twitter (@MLChesley) a lot more lately. You
can always find my book on Amazon or Smashwords as well.

Any
last words?

Yes! Thanks so much for this opportunity,
Patrick. I appreciate it. I’ll happily do interviews and like to reciprocate.
Anytime you feel like guest posting on my blog, just holler! And thanks to your
readers for being so very patient. I’d like to offer up a free copy of my book
to one lucky commenter, if that’s all right with you.

Adversarius

Two kingdoms, two goals.

The king of Relavia is determined to wipe
out his warring neighbors in Paridzule, a worthy adversary for over five
hundred years. News of an arranged marriage between his son and the
daughter of his lifelong enemy has fueled the temper of Relavia's
tyrannical king. What he doesn't realize is the true measure of his
son's honor and how far he is willing to go to gain peace.

4
Kommentare:

Mel, quick question: you mentioned basing the characters from Adversarius on an RPG (maybe a MUD?). Did you make any attempt to disassociate the characters from the game that birthed them, or would other players in the RPG instantly recognize the setting?

Just curious. I've done the same thing with characters in my own fantasy stories, but did take some pains to uncouple them from the game.

Hi Larry! Yes, I used to play a MuD. I have one city in my entire world that resembles (however slightly) the setting from the game. The only way I disassociated them from the game was by changing their name (when needed, due to being named after other characters from games or books). There is one city that is easily recognizable from the game itself, but is only mentioned in the first book. I also made sure to ask permission to use the characters from the people who created them. The game wasn't that big of a deal because I never used the name of the city or made my city exactly like theirs. Lots of the other players that have read my book so far, feel like they've stepped back into that game and really like it.